LYME Regis-based shanty group Lyme Bay Moonrakers will be premiering their new show “The Pull of The Tide” in Seaton and Bridport at the end of this month (October 26) and on November 1 respectively.

Tickets can be purchased from Bridport Arts Centre http://www.bridport-arts.com and Seaton Gateway Theatre https://gatewaytheatre.co.uk/respectively.

“The Pull of The Tide” is a film accompanied by a sequence of eight songs based on the true story of a young boy’s journey following his mother’s death as he fled to the seas to escape the hardship of his new stepmother’s wrath.

The tale is that of the grandfather of Lyme Bay Moonrakers member Corinne Reed.

The piece is a collaboration between film-maker Rob Jayne, composer Mark Hewitt and Corinne Reed, who wrote the words and lyrics.

Corinne describes the piece as: “A tale of loss, love and redemption when a young Devon boy runs away to sea. We are taken on a journey of pain, hardship, bravery, wonderment and eventual enlightenment. The tale was inspired by family folklore handed down from the nineteenth century. Our story will be told in new songs following the tradition of seafaring folk throughout the ages with sometimes haunting, sometimes joyous but always captivating music we tell the story of the boy’s struggles with life’s trials and eventually finds the love he thought lost. With his new-found freedom he sets off to sea once more but now is running towards and not away from life.”

When talking about the music Mark said: “I wanted to capture a folk-like quality in the music, which is apt for the time and place the story is set. The eight songs all share melodic or harmonic patterns, helping to unify the set of songs as a whole”.

The piece is accompanied by a film made by Bridport based film-maker Rob Jayne, with the boy being portrayed by his own great-great Grandson.

Rob said: “When asked if I would be interested in contributing the filmed elements of a mixed media stage production, I had no hesitation in saying yes. Over the years I have collaborated with Lyme Bay Moonrakers in producing various videos that seek to capture the vibrancy of their performances and the intricacies of Mark’s musical arrangements, so I am aware of the depth of talent within the group. The opportunity to add imagery to the words and music has also been a journey of discovery, as I have learnt more about the historical period and settings portrayed in the film. It is an absolute pleasure to use the skillset of my background in performance and film making to bring elements of the narrative to life on screen.”

In addition to ‘The Pull of the Tide’ film, the show will also include a selection of traditional shanties in bespoke vocal arrangements for the group.